Warriors vs. Spurs: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
Warriors vs. Spurs Odds
| Warriors Odds | -9 |
| Spurs Odds | +9 |
| Over/Under | 243 |
| Date | Fri, Jan. 13 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. |
| TV | ESPN |
On Friday evening, the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs will meet at the AT&T Center. Entering play, Golden State owns the 8-seed in the Western Conference, with San Antonio only two games ahead of the Houston Rockets in the loss column for the worst record in basketball. In this matchup, oddsmakers are anticipating a relatively easy victory for the Warriors, pricing them as 9-point road favorites on the spread.
Golden State Warriors
Curry shaking off the rust
In “(player-popup #stephen-curry)Stephen Curry”:/players/stephen-curry-1079’s return to action on Tuesday, Golden State suffered a 125-113 loss to the short-handed Phoenix Suns. During his postgame press conference, Curry alluded to the fact that he is still doing rehab on his injured shoulder as he attempts to get back closer to 100% health.
His postgame comments could partly explain an 8-for-22 shooting performance in the loss, including 5-for-15 from beyond-the-arc. Though the Warriors’ leading-scorer is back on the floor, he is likely going to need a few games before returning to the form that bettors are used to seeing.
Wiggins ramping up activity
After playing only 19 minutes on January 7, in his first game action in over a month, Andrew Wiggins played 29 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. Still, he showed signs of rust, failing to make a three-pointer for the first time this season, and shooting 5-for-16 from the floor.
In two games since rejoining the team, Wiggins is 9-for-28 shooting the basketball and only 2-for-11 from beyond-the-arc. Even facing a defensively-challenged San Antonio defense on Friday, he is far from a guarantee to look like his normal self.
San Antonio Spurs
Vassell OUT
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs rank in the 21st percentile in offensive efficiency and the 3rd percentile in defensive efficiency this season when Devin Vassell is on the floor, compared to the 41st percentile in offensive efficiency and the 13th percentile in defensive efficiency when he is on the sidelines.
In short, San Antonio is a worse than league average team on both ends of the floor, regardless of whether Vassell is uniform. Nevertheless, they have been slightly better with him off of the court during the first half of the season.
Who will step up for San Antonio?
Per CourtIQ, Keldon Johnson sees the largest increase in usage (+2.4%) of any starter when Vassell is not on the floor. In these situations, Johnson is averaging 26.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per 36 minutes of action.
In 12 games with Vassell in street clothes this year, Johnson has scored 24 points or more 10 times, with one of those misses coming against the Detroit Pistons – a game in which Johnson left after 13 minutes due to injury. Facing a Golden State defense that is still trying to find their footing after returning Curry and Wiggins to the lineup, Johnson is likely to have a strong performance on Friday.
Warriors vs. Spurs – Picks & Predictions
As of this writing, 61% of bets and 84% of the money is on the Golden State Warriors to cover the spread tonight, with the vast majority of bettors anticipating a bounce-back performance for the Dubs after a double-digit loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The absence of Devin Vassell, San Antonio’s second leading scorer, is likely also playing a role in these market percentages.
Yet, the Spurs have performed better with Vassell off of the court during the first half of the season, and it is far from a guarantee that Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins will return to form tonight, with both players still making their way back from serious ailments.
Golden State is 3-16 on the road this season, having been outscored by 9.9 points per 100 possessions. Expect the Spurs to keep this game competitive – take them to cover the spread at home.
PICK: +9 (-112, Wynn)
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